Lawrence cocked an eye at his brother. “You care a great deal what becomes of her.”
William shrugged. “No woman deserves to be singled out by that reprobate. Least of all a lady of our acquaintance.”
The eye of suspicion remained. “Granted, but why is it you remain vigilant when the danger has passed?”
William squirmed a little. He did not like his brother circling the truth so closely, especially since William himself was uncertain what to make of his own feelings. “Well, she is… That is to say… There is no reason why… Oh, shut up, Lawrence!”
Lawrence lifted an eyebrow. Then a smile spread slowly and annoyingly across his face, the wrinkles around his eyes radiating out toward his side-whiskers. “Your secret is safe with me, Little Brother.”
He reached out his hand.
William ducked his head. “If you are going to ruffle my hair as if I were five years old, I shall knock you on your back, Lawrence!”
His brother laughed heartily. He had a beautiful, broad mouth designed for just such moments. It was one of the few things he and William had in common. “I was merely going to shake your hand to seal the deal, so to speak. My, but you are touchy, Little Brother.”
“And stop calling me that,” William grumbled. “I am as grown as you are.”
Lawrence regarded his brother a moment. “Indeed, it seems you are, or at least well on your way to it. Won’t our parents be pleased!” He tapped a finger to the side of his nose and winked. “Not that they will hear it frommylips.”
“Well,” said William, straightening his jacket, “I thank you for that.”
“I take it you will dance with Miss Lockhart tonight?”
“I already have.”
“Perhaps you should again.”
“That would imply a relationship we do not have.”
Lawrence cocked his head jauntily. “Perhaps that is what she wants. If she does not, she may simply refuse.”
“If she does not seek my attention, she will consider my request very forward. I have only just persuaded her I am made of better stuff than that.”
“Ah,” replied Lawrence, “perhaps I should dance with Miss Lockhart and sweeten your case before her.”
William stared at his brother. “You would do that?”
“Yes, of course, Littl… William. But with so many unmarried gentlemen here tonight, it would be improper for me to dance with an eligible lady in their stead.”
William considered his brother with new affection. “I am not used to your support. It is a pleasant change, to say the least.”
“Ah,” said Lawrence, “but you have never delivered up a cause worthy of supporting before. It, too, is a pleasant change.”
The shift in their relationship was oddly comforting to William. For the longest time, he had felt alone. Oh, his family loved him. Of that, there was no doubt. But they were each busy with satisfying lives. And he had always lived along the periphery of their world. His relationship with them had, to his mind, been bound by their expectations, something in which he was sure to be a disappointment. He had followed his own heart from the start. It had felt like rebellion. And so a rebel he must be.
Only, where had that gotten him? A strained bond with his father. A reputation for tomfoolery. He was a man who could not be taken seriously. Was that not how Charlotte often introduced him?“Don’t mind my brother. He is harmless in his flirtation.”Perhaps she was embarrassed by him. He had never considered how his choices affected others, except where it had pleased him.
But, all of them, to the last, liked Miss Lockhart. They believed she would be good for him. They supported his interest in her wholeheartedly—even if his sister had unintentionally helped the competition. And, suddenly, William felt part of a greater good, a collective united in purpose and dignity.
He was not ready to give Miss Lockhart up to another. With his siblings’ encouragement, he would fight a fair fight for her hand. Not a selfish theatrical as he had with Lady Howell, one that might ruin her reputation. No, a suit that did justice to the character of his beloved, for she deserved nothing less.
The war was forgotten. The rogue, Richard Foyle, was forgotten. Larson and Westbridge and whosoever else danced with Miss Lockhart this night were forgotten. William would focus on her, and her alone. What she wanted. What she needed. What he had to give.
But where to start?
A single thought rammed into the forefront of his mind. It jolted his thoughts into focus and spread a delicious glow of resolve throughout his body.
“Lawrence,” he said. “Will you still be in Munro this week?”
“I will. Charlotte asked that I not rush home too soon. She is such a welcoming hostess, one cannot sayno, even if it does mean enduring James’s frequent surliness. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to attend a lecture on Egyptian beetles with me…”
